"Oh no, it's a divine beast!"
Hagson and Beverly blanched at the sight and were about to unleash their attacks on the aloof woman.
But Roger raised a hand, signaling for them to stay where they were.
He was a Midgod now. Even if his opponent was a divine beast, she was only a Lowgod, and Roger wanted to experience the power of her innate divine ability.
After all,
even the God-Eater Rat's absurd innate divine ability could not work across an entire major rank.
Roger did not believe he would encounter a divine beast stronger than a God-Eater Rat just by taking a patrol around his territory.
Boom!
The moment the phantom locked onto Roger,
a hazy streak of light shot into his head.
"Hmph, arrogant human. You think being a Midgod lets you do whatever you please?"
The aloof woman sneered.
She was the first Nether Fox in all creation.
An incomparably noble divine beast!
It was not as though her innate divine ability had never killed a Midgod before!
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
Outside Roger's soul ocean,
the ferocious streak of hazy light slammed into a transparent barrier.
The attack was so fierce that even the soul defense shield Roger had painstakingly created shook violently.
But,
Roger's soul was stronger than even an ordinary Highgod's!
Coupled with his mastery of soul defense,
Roger's soul defenses could be said to surpass those of many Highgods.
If her innate divine ability had been a physical attack, Roger might have been somewhat wary.
But a soul-based one...
Hum!
Roger's soul shuddered.
Her terrifying innate divine ability, powerful enough to shatter an ordinary Midgod's soul ocean, was shattered by that single shudder!
Whoosh!
Before the aloof woman could react,
a rapidly spinning, translucent javelin shot from Roger's eyes.
Hiss!
The Soul Javelin instantly entered the aloof woman's body and bored straight toward her soul ocean.
"What?!!!"
Seeing that her innate divine ability had been utterly ineffective, the aloof woman panicked, but before she could make another move,
Roger's soul attack had already struck her.
As Roger's ultimate soul attack,
the translucent spear easily tore through the aloof woman's soul defenses.
Even though her soul defenses were reinforced with innate energy,
they were still no different from paper before Roger.
After breaking through her soul defenses, Roger even deliberately controlled the illusory javelin, dispersing it completely so it would not harm the essence of her soul.
Although the aloof woman's innate divine ability posed no threat to Roger,
that was because Roger was no ordinary Midgod.
If Hagson or Beverly had faced that attack, their souls would most likely have been shattered on the spot.
That alone showed that the divine beast race she belonged to was anything but ordinary.
Roger naturally could not bear to kill a divine beast with such potential outright. Enslaving her soul would be the best outcome.
Whoosh...
Sensing his intrusion into her soul ocean,
the aloof woman panicked and hurriedly mobilized her innate energy to resist.
But against defenses of that level, Roger did not even need his Soul Javelin. He simply used Mind Gray Mist, the soul-bewildering technique he had comprehended recently, and the aloof woman lost consciousness completely.
Sensing that she had lost all ability to resist,
Roger took a Soul Seed that he had been continuously nurturing within his own soul ocean and "planted" it directly in her soul core, gaining complete control over her soul.
He sensed that he could make the aloof woman's soul collapse instantly with a single thought, and could also control her from the depths of her consciousness.
Roger knew.
His first attempt to enslave a divine beast through Soul Seed Soul Enslavement had succeeded.
He withdrew his soul power from her sea of consciousness.
The aloof woman woke up then as well. Upon seeing Roger, she immediately bowed and knelt, her expression utterly reverent.
"Mia pays her respects to you, Master! My offense in attacking you just now was unforgivable. Please punish me, Master!"
Seeing the woman who had been so arrogant moments before now kneeling and calling him Master,
Hagson and Beverly exchanged a glance, each seeing profound shock in the other's eyes.
Roger was clearly even stronger than they had imagined.
"It's fine. I won't hold the past against you. Just serve me diligently from now on."
Roger waved a hand. "Mia, was it? Tell me about your race and your life."
"Yes, Master!"
Now that the Soul Seed controlled her, Mia regarded Roger as her master from the very depths of her soul and consciousness.
Even if Roger ordered her to die, she would not hesitate in the slightest.
That was how domineering soul enslavement was.
In some respects, it was even more domineering than a Master-Servant Contract.
Mia stood respectfully behind Roger, as docile as a kitten.
"I belong to the divine beast race known as the Nether Foxes, but I'm certain I'm the first Nether Fox in all creation." A trace of pride appeared amid Mia's reverent expression before she continued.
"I was born from the world several hundred years ago. I've stayed here ever since I became conscious. It took me over a hundred years to reach maturity, at which point I naturally comprehended the Soul Attack branch of the death edict and became a Lowgod. Since then, I've remained here, cultivating in seclusion."
"During that time, I killed several Lowgods and a Midgod who came from somewhere unknown."
Though Mia's voice was cool, it was unexpectedly pleasant. "And then I met you, Master."
Clearly, Mia's life had been very simple.
"A divine beast Nether Fox..." Roger looked at Mia. "Your innate divine ability is quite powerful. What's it called?"
"Master, it's called Soul Shatter. That's what I used to kill those people before. Their soul defenses couldn't withstand my innate divine ability at all."
"Compared to you, Master, that Midgod was pathetically weak. Hehe," Mia said proudly.
Recalling how easily Roger had defeated her innate divine ability, Soul Shatter, the previously aloof Mia could no longer maintain her cool demeanor and instantly became an adoring fangirl.
"Impressive. An innate divine ability that can kill a Midgod a rank above you is powerful indeed."
Roger praised her.
If not for the Jade Disc Fragment, the strengthening provided by large quantities of Soul Gold Beads, and the ultimate soul defense technique he had developed, facing that attack would have been dangerous for Roger too.
"Congratulations on acquiring a divine beast servant, my lord!"
Only then did Hagson and Beverly voice their congratulations in unison.
From Charles's cultivation notes, Hagson knew that powerful practitioners of the death edict possessed methods of enslaving others' souls.
He had never seen it before. Now that he had witnessed Roger use it firsthand, he felt both shocked and afraid.
If Roger had used that on us before, wouldn't we have become soul slaves too...?
But then Hagson reconsidered.
Soul slave slots were precious. If someone lacked potential or strength, they were not worth wasting a Soul Seed on.
Clearly, Hagson belonged to the sort who had little potential and only middling strength.
Besides, his relationship with Roger was fairly good, after all.
At that thought,
Hagson felt both dejected and relieved.
Beverly, standing beside him, knew none of this, but still vaguely understood that death might have brushed past several times already.
Before you continue